The nearly $24 million I-65 Tennessee River Bridges project is about to get underway, and nighttime lane closures are expected when the work commences, the Alabama Department of Transportation said Wednesday.

Contractor Cekra won the contract with a $23.7 million bid, and the project to clean, paint and repair concrete and structural steel on the 50-year-old bridges between Morgan and Limestone counties is expected to take roughly 2 1/2 years, the agency said.

Cekra is staging for the project.

Lane closures between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. nightly, Sunday evenings through Friday mornings, are necessary to install rigging, the department said.

No daytime lane closures are anticipated until March, according to ALDOT.

Daytime lane closures will be limited to certain work, including concrete deck repairs and asphalt widening on the approaches to the bridges.

Message boards on the interstate will let motorists know in advance of lane closures and possible detours.

Lane closures will not be necessary for much of the work, according to ALDOT, but the agency cautioned motorists should be aware that shoulder closures, lane shifts, and reductions in lane width — conditions that will exist during much of the project — may slow traffic.

The agency also offered motorists the following tips to prepare for the construction:

• Plan additional travel time

• Use alternate routes

• Check traffic conditions via algotraffic.com or the ALGO Traffic App before traveling

• Follow ALDOT North Region on X @ALDOT_NRegion for project updates